A software component is a self contained chunk of code with a published interface. Normally, a programmer will incorporate a component into the main corpus of code being developed.

The web, plus a meta-API technology like XML-RPC (or CORBA or Java RMI) allows a service provider to "host" the components at their site, and the application transfers control to that site while that component is being used.
-- jimfl, Mar 12 2000

Take It Offline http://www.takeitoffline.com
Steve Yost's instant discussion hosting service. There is an XML-RPC interface, making this an excellent example of a CSP. [jimfl, Mar 12 2000, last modified Oct 04 2004]

XML-RPC http://www.xmlrpc.com
An extremely easy to use and implement meta-API. [jimfl, Mar 12 2000, last modified Oct 04 2004]

Take It Offline's XML-RPC interface http://www.takeitoffline.com/xmlrpc.html
Short description of TIO's XML-RPC interface. Haven't linked it from the main page yet. [syost, Mar 12 2000, last modified Oct 04 2004]

Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration -- protocol to discover CSPs http://www.oasis-open.org/cover/uddi.html
"for describing services, discovering businesses, and integrating business services using the Internet". Builds on SOAP. [syost, Mar 12 2000, last modified Oct 04 2004]

SALCentral http://www.salcentral.com/
Directory and search engine for "Web Services" (most of which speak SOAP). [egnor, Mar 12 2000, last modified Oct 04 2004]

Yes! Thanks, Jim. I've thought of TIO this way (in fact the very thing occurred to me Friday, after publicizing the XML-RPC interface), but haven't put it so eloquently.

I guess you can say RSS is another standard that promotes CSP usage, if you view the RSS publishers as read-only components.
-- syost, Mar 12 2000, last modified Mar 13 2000


Getting pretty close to baked these days, with lots of activity around SOAP/WSDL/UDDI/etc..
-- egnor, Mar 29 2001


Quick Topic (was Take It Offline) does SOAP now too. Not only baked -- this is one huge pie.
-- syost, May 07 2002



random, halfbakery